Upanishads · Aitareya 3.2
॥
Devanāgarī
यत् एतत् हृदयम् मनः च एतत् सञ्ज्ञानम् आज्ञानम् विज्ञानम् प्रज्ञानम् मेधा दृष्टिः धृतिः मतिः मनीषा जूतिः स्मृतिः सङ्कल्पः क्रतुः असुः कामः वशः इति सर्वाणि एव एतानि प्रज्ञानस्य नामधेयानि भवन्ति
Transliteration (IAST)
yat etat hṛdayam manaḥ ca etat sañjñānam ājñānam vijñānam prajñānam medhā dṛṣṭiḥ dhṛtiḥ matiḥ manīṣā jūtiḥ smṛtiḥ saṅkalpaḥ kratuḥ asuḥ kāmaḥ vaśaḥ iti sarvāṇi eva etāni prajñānasya nāmadheyāni bhavanti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatthat which; what
एतत्etatthis; the present
हृदयम्hṛdayamthe heart; the core
मनःmanaḥthe mind; manas
चcaand; as well as
एतत्etatthis; the present
सञ्ज्ञानम्sañjñānamawareness (saṁjñāna); co-knowing; recognition
आज्ञानम्ājñānamcommand (ājñāna — 'the power of ordering'); direction; sovereign injunction
विज्ञानम्vijñānamdiscerning knowledge; conscious understanding
प्रज्ञानम्prajñānamconsciousness-cognition (prajñāna); the light of knowing; prajñāna
मेधाmedhāintelligence; retentive understanding
दृष्टिःdṛṣṭiḥvision; insight
धृतिःdhṛtiḥsteadfastness (dhṛti); firmness; endurance
मतिःmatiḥthought; opinion
मनीषाmanīṣāwise reflection; sagacity
जूतिःjūtiḥimpulse (jūti — 'onrush'); momentum; drive
स्मृतिःsmṛtiḥmemory; recollection
सङ्कल्पःsaṅkalpaḥintention; resolve
क्रतुःkratuḥwill (kratu — 'sacrificial resolve'); purposeful resolve; the will to act
असुःasuḥlife (asu — 'the breath of life'); vital force; the breath of living
कामःkāmaḥdesire; longing
वशःvaśaḥmastery (vaśa); dominion; control
इतिitithus; so
सर्वाणिsarvāṇiall; entirely
एवevaprecisely; only
एतानिetānithese; the present ones
प्रज्ञानस्यprajñānasyaof Consciousness; of wise knowing
नामधेयानिnāmadheyāninames; appellations
भवन्तिbhavantibecome; are
Translation
That which is this heart and mind: awareness, command, discernment, consciousness, intelligence, vision, steadfastness, thought, reflection, impulse, memory, intention, will, life, desire, mastery — all these are names of one Consciousness.
Version
f67290c0da12 · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:36:16 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The answer begins with a census of the inner world: yad etad hṛdayaṁ manaś caitat — "that which is the heart and the mind": and then sixteen names in a row: saṁjñāna — awareness, ājñāna — command, vijñāna — discernment, prajñāna — consciousness-cognition, medhā — retentive intelligence, dṛṣṭi — vision, dhṛti — steadfastness, mati — thought, manīṣā — reflection, jūti — impulse, smṛti — memory, saṅkalpa — intention, kratu — will, asu — life, kāma — desire, vaśa — mastery.
And the conclusion for whose sake the list was made: sarvāṇy evaitāni prajñānasya nāma-dheyāni bhavanti — "all these are names of Prajñāna, of Consciousness": sixteen faculties are not sixteen tenants but sixteen garments of one: memory, will, desire, life itself (asu!) are pseudonyms of a single conscious Light. Psychology is reduced to theology: the inner world is not a federation of functions but one Light in many services.
The list deserves a slow reading: it includes "impulse" (jūti) and "mastery" (vaśa) — even drive and dominion are faces of consciousness; nothing in the inner man is unconscious in essence — everything shines with one light. Who that One is the final verse will name with all the names of the gods, and crown with two words.